1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to selecting an audio output from one or more external audio inputs in an audio/video apparatus, in particularly, during a standby mode or power-off mode.
2. Background Information
In a home environment, a user may connect several auxiliary audio/video devices, such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players, set-top boxes, CD (Compact Disc) players, MP3 players, and karaoke machines, to a main audio/video device, such as a television apparatus, which then connected to a hi-fi amplifier. This way, all the audio/video devices can share the same hi-fi amplifier.
A disadvantage of the above configuration is that the television apparatus can select one of the audio input signals to be connected to the hi-fi amplifier when the television apparatus is turned on, but is unable to make such a selection, when the television apparatus is turned off or unplugged. Thus, even if a user wants to enjoy only the audio from one of the auxiliary audio/video apparatuses without concerning the video, the user may still have to perform one of the following. First, the user may have to turn on the television apparatus 10, but that constitutes waste of energy because the user is not watching the video. Second, the user may remove the audio output of the desired auxiliary audio/video device from the television apparatus and reconnect the output to the hi-fi amplifier, but that is troublesome because the user has to move the connection cables back and forth. Finally, instead of connecting audio outputs of the auxiliary audio/video devices to the television apparatus, the user may connect the audio output of each of the auxiliary audio/video devices to an input of the hi-fi amplifier, but that is inconvenient because the outputs of an auxiliary audio/video device would have to go to two different apparatuses: the audio to the hi-fi amplifier and the video to the television apparatus, making the connection arrangement unnecessarily complicated. As such, there is a need to have a television apparatus having the ability to connect one of the auxiliary audio inputs to an audio output of the television apparatus when the television apparatus is turned off, but without significantly increasing the cost of the television apparatus.